Human Resource Development

INPEX’s training curriculum is designed to help personnel develop the required skills and mindset to work in a large energy company and contribute to the business over the long term. Group training, practical training (primarily through overseas visits or appointments), and e-learning focused on developing business knowledge are the principal modes of delivery.

In FY2021, as part of job-level-based training, we strengthened our support for line management and conducted training sessions for all managers focusing on staff development, leadership and teambuilding to improve organizational capabilities. For younger employees, after taking adequate precautions against COVID-19, we resumed operational and practical training in the form of on-the-job experience at overseas offices and other onsite training abroad. The aim of these programs is to develop human resources capable of playing an active role at the global level.

For those who joined the company in FY2021, we combined face-to-face training with online sessions to help them adjust to the workplace as they learned the basics of working at INPEX. In doing so, we took steps to cultivate a sense of camaraderie among fellow recruits in a telework (work from home) setting, and conducted pulse surveys to help with job adjustment throughout the year. We also have a mentoring system (for first-year employees) and a supporter system (for second- and third-year employees) under which a veteran mentor is assigned to each young employee to provide work-related guidance and moral support. For young employees performing technical work, the approach used is based on a medium-to-long-term vision and includes interviews using skill maps relating to the individual’s specialist field, with the ultimate goal of cultivating the next generation of leaders.

Career support takes the form of career training for employees aged 30, 40, and 55, and is intended to help them develop career autonomy through techniques such as self-reflection and career experience inventory.

In FY2021, we organized seminars to promote psychological safety throughout the company, with some of our employees taking the role of instructor. We believe that psychological safety encourages personal growth as well as transmission of new ideas at the team level to help build an innovative organization in which employees can exchange opinions in a free and uninhibited manner.

In FY2022, we introduced a job-based personnel system and simultaneously overhauled our training regime with an emphasis on autonomy and leadership. We abolished job-level training and initiated leadership training targeting a wide cross-section of employees. We have also strengthened support for line management—the backbone of the organization—and encourage each employee to pursue career autonomy. For younger employees, there is an ongoing program during the first three years focused on acquiring the basic abilities needed to function in a work environment. In addition, we have introduced an e-learning system designed to strengthen fundamental skills and provide training tailored to each individual. The aim of these initiatives is to advance the individual and enhance organizational capabilities.

Human Resource Development Curriculum

Developing next-generation leaders

In FY2021, we initiated the Breakthrough Leadership Program (BLP) under which selected individuals undergo training to develop the next generation of leaders. Those selected are deliberately subjected to an intensive series of tough assignments over a short timeframe to accelerate their development. Lasting up to five years, the program—which employs job experience, job stretch and job move techniques—is tailored to each individual and aims to produce transformational leaders who will ultimately be responsible for managing the company. In FY2021, 21 employees were selected for participation and are now receiving training.

A program to develop leadership skills was also inaugurated in Australia during FY2021. Approximately 300 team leaders and managers participated in the three-day training program aimed at instilling the qualities and behavioral attributes expected of leaders.